Winter
by nightfall26
Summary: After the war first ended, Zuko thought he had everything together. He thought that at last, his scars would fade, and the world would know him as a man of honor. But when he hears that Katara has gone missing, everything crumbles around him. After all, she was the only one who really knew him. Z x K, review please!
1. Chill

__**Hello, hello, hello! I'm back, with a new story to tell! Of course, it's Zutara. I don't own ATLA, and let this be a disclaimer that applies to all of my chapters.**

**I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Winter, and please, come back for more!**

**-nightfall26**

_Prologue, Zuko's point of view._

"Katara, hand me that knife, will you?" I called from my spot on the ladder. A water whip hovered next to me, clutching the requested knife. I smiled and picked it up.

"What are you doing up there, anyways?" She called from beneath me, her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed.

"I'm fixing something!"

"With a knife? On the roof?" Katara's tone was all disbelief, but I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, with a knife, on the roof. There's still confetti up here from the party last month!" I wedged the knife inside of the device that was implanted into the tile, turning it until it released the mechanism within.

The statue on the center of the garden of my father split down the center. There was a gasp from below, and I muffled a chuckle.

"Look, now you just pick up one half, and I'll pick up the other, and it'll be gone. Azula designed this just in case she wanted a statue of herself here."

"Well I guess we should be thankful for her vanity, then." Katara laughed, extending a hand to help me down from the ladder. I grabbed it gratefully. I'd fallen off a ladder the past week and sprained my ankle, so now Katara had taken to following me around and helping me with everything.

Not that I minded.

"Katara!" Aang's voice echoed in the hallway next to us, and before long, the bald monk bounded into the courtyard.

"Katara, I've packed your things, it's time to go! Come on, Appa's waiting!" He said excitedly, grabbing her hands in his. Her face had frozen mid-smile and dropped to a confused gape. My heart froze.

"What are you talking about, Aang?"

"I just have a good feeling today. I think it's time to go back out into the world and help people again! They're gonna need us, 'Tara. Thanks for letting us stay here, Zuko, really." He turned to me, grinning ear to ear before pulling Katara along behind him.

"See you later!" Aang called over his shoulder.

Katara wrenched herself from Aang's grip long enough to dash to me and throw her arms around me tightly.

"You take care of yourself, Zuko. Okay?" She whispered, and the distress in her voice made me wrap my arms around her waist and brush my lips against her ear. A shudder worked its way down my back at the contact. I wanted, in that moment, for her to stay. The Waterbender had become my best friend.

"I'll miss you." I murmured.

With one last desperate glance, Katara ran after her boyfriend.

And then she was gone.

* * *

_Eight Months Later._

Mai's face often reminded me of winter. I couldn't put my finger on why, but every time my eyes wandered to her face, I felt cold. Maybe it was the condescending way she talked to me. It reminded me of my sister, in an eerie, terrible way. Or maybe, it was the chilly bite in the way she looked at me. There was no love in her eyes, no respect, just emptiness- a vast wasteland of snow and ice that only reflected my own image back at me.

Was something wrong with the way I treated her? Was her life here inadequate?

Questions like this often plagued my mind and kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. The war had ended a year ago. The people were adjusting well to my rule, and the Fire Nation was thriving once again. Repairs were well underway. My palace was returned once more to its former splendor, and my home Nation was a place of peace. My wounds were healing. I was slowly getting used to the pacing of royal life, of going to bed with embroidered coverlets instead of sleeping on the ground.

I was content in my routine. Every so often, letters from my friends would trickle in and I'd get a taste of what life was like out among the other Nations.

Aang wrote me every other week, updating me on worldly events and the general upkeep of peace.

Sokka wrote me once a month, detailing his various culinary adventures as well as his relationship woes. After his sister had been placed far out of reach from me, he'd actually warmed up to friendship quicker than I'd expected. He and Suki were engaged to be married, but it was obvious that she had the control in the relationship. Sometimes he got a little out of hand with his descriptions of their... activities, and I'd have to struggle through a page of things I had never wanted to know about Suki.

Toph even wrote me once. It was short, to the point, and awkward, but at least she'd cared enough to send something, even if it was smudged with mud.

Katara had never written me. This irritated me; the Water Tribe girl and I had been better friends than this, I'd thought. There had been such a fiery spark in her eyes when I'd seen her last; a light in her smile and a spring to her step that I'd liked to think was only for me. Obviously, by the lack of communication between us, I was proved wrong.

A knock sounded at my door, and I leaned backwards against my headboard, book in hand. I'd gotten lost in thought.

"Come in." I called, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Mai slipped in, shutting the door behind her soundlessly. Her black hair was falling to her hips now, a straight, harsh line of inky dark that made her face look all angles.

"It's late. You didn't eat dinner."

"I haven't done anything all day, Mai. I've just been trying to catch up on all this legal stuff that I'm required to know by heart. I've got like three billion textbooks to absorb in a week." I snapped, slamming my book shut and tossing it onto the pile next to my bed. She walked to the end of the bed, crawling onto the comforter with an animalistic gleam in her eye.

"Do you need to... unwind?" Was she seriously trying to sound suggestive? I didn't answer her. She was behaving oddly, Mai had almost never made any advances towards me. It was rare enough for us to kiss, let alone anything else.

For the first time in months, I really got a good look at her. Her bones jutted out from beneath the pale skin, making me wonder if she was the one who needed to unwind and relax. Her skeletal form was unappealing to me anymore.

As she continued to get closer to me, I decided this was the opposite of what I needed.

"Mai, I don't have time for this. I have to get back to work." I shouldn't have been telling her this.

"I'll sleep in my own room tonight." She shouldn't have had to.

We both knew that there were a lot of things that shouldn't be happening between us and a lot of things that should be.

But we both knew that this was the path we had chosen.

Sure, right after the war had ended, our romance had burst into flames. I was the war hero, Fire Lord Zuko, the mysterious exile that had risen from the ashes to regain his honor. Women literally were falling at my feet; including Mai. But as the weeks went on, we both began to see that there were fatal flaws between us. Suddenly, there were so many _problems_ and fights that went long into the night and cold shoulders and silences that shattered my nerves. Suddenly I felt as if I was back on the battlefield. Suddenly, I began to see my sister in the way Mai acted.

Somewhere along those realizations, I fell out of love with her.

At events, we took care to use smoke and mirrors to put our best faces forward. We held hands, smiled, even on occasion hugged. These things brought a cheer from the crowd often times.

But I never told anyone that I hadn't kissed her in months.

* * *

_"Zuko, tell me about your mother."_

_"I'd rather not."_

_"Seriously. You'll feel better."_

_"Katara, you don't get it. I don't talk about my mother to anyone, ever."_

_"Well then, I'll be the first." _

_"Don't you have someone else to pester?"_

_"Aw, come on, Zuko. You know you don't mind."_

_"I never mind you."_

A gasp tore from my throat, yanking me from sleep and back into reality.

I'd dreamed about Katara again.

I kicked myself awake at sunrise, trying to pull myself away from the blue-eyed girl that plagued my mind. I kept telling myself the same thing over and over- that it wasn't what I thought it was, that Katara was my best friend in the whole world and there was no way in Agni that I could think of her _that way._

After the war, she and Aang had stayed at the Palace for about two months to relax before heading off. Aang was often busy, discussing important topics with important people and trying desperately to grow up.

Katara was with me, most of the time. At first it was just business, made up of conversations about our differing cultures. We took walks together through the gardens, we had lunches together, we'd even taken to meeting in secret places so that Mai didn't get jealous.

But it was just because my best friend happened to be a girl. It wasn't because I'd harbored any actual romantic feelings towards her. Not that I wasn't attracted to her, I mean, she was _lovely. _She was everything to me; she understood me, and the topics of our conversation had taken a turn for the incredibly personal. I cried in front of her. She cried in front of me. We bared everything to each other and trusted one another to be gentle.

Before long, my Fire Lord duties started to take over, creating less time for her and I. We began meeting early in the morning to bend together to avoid Mai's suspicion.

It didn't matter that I blushed every time I saw her in her wrappings while she bended.

It didn't matter that I noticed the way her hair curled, or the way her hips moved when she walked, or the way her eyes lit up when she saw me.

Because I just couldn't afford to think like that.

Mai came to me minutes later after I'd woken up, her eyes speaking of a restless night. I forced my usual tight smile and put my arm around her, patting her shoulder to reassure her that everything between us was okay.

Not that either of us believed me, but this was our routine. I guess that we'd become comfortably numb. I hurried getting ready this morning, spending the least amount of time possible in the water so that I could spare my mind the torment.

As my messenger hawk flew to my window, I wrapped a towel around my waist for decency and unclipped the letter from its foot. With a sharp howl, the bird pushed off from the stone windowsill and off into the country side. It was a simple note from Aang informing me that he was settling down in a nearby village for the time being, and had asked Katara to marry him. That made me wince. It hurt, and I didn't know why, but knowing that that beautiful, beautiful girl was going to marry the Avatar- who was barely out of childhood- created a deep pain in my chest.

I stared at the piece of paper for a long time, my heart grinding to a halt with a sick thud as I read the words that followed.

_Zuko, I woke up this morning and she was gone. All of her things were packed, there was no note, no trace, nothing. She's gone, and I don't even know where to look._

"Zuko, what's wrong?" Mai was standing in the doorway, running a comb through her wet hair. I rolled up the note and placed it on my end table.

"Nothing, I'm just not feeling good. I think I'll get dressed and go down to have some breakfast." I murmured numbly. She wouldn't understand. Never in a million lifetimes could she possibly understand the worry that was pulsing through my body like a drum beat. Katara was the only friend I'd ever had that could look me in the eyes and tell me that she had felt the same suffering that I had once felt.

_"You can cry, Zuko. It's okay. My mother's gone, too."_

"You never eat breakfast." My girlfriend said pointedly. I shrugged. Her words meant little to me at this point.

"Well, maybe I should start." My response came out a little harsher than I'd meant it to, and she pursed her lips before turning on her heel to walk back into the bathroom.

I wore simple robes, the same robes that I'd donned while traveling with the Avatar. My hands had pulled them from my closet without thought; my feet took me to Uncle's chambers without me even knowing where I was really going.

His eyes were concerned as I told him of Katara's disappearance. I hunched over, my elbows on my knees and my head hanging down.

"You know what you have to do." He said quietly. My head snapped up so I could look him in the eye.

"It's not my job to go look for her. That's Aang's job, he's her boyfriend." I snapped, acerbic. Wasn't he almighty? Wasn't he supposed to stop everything in order to win her over and go galavanting off into the sunset to save her?

"You do realize that he's going to look in all the wrong places? Zuko, you know her."

"He knows her better than I do, Uncle, be realistic."

He was silent for a moment, picking up his tea cup to sip at it for a moment. When our gazes met again, his eyes were sorrowful.

"I remember that night after the war, at that beautiful party you threw. You danced with her, and you were happy, weren't you?"

"Of course I danced with Katara, she's my friend. Get to the point."

"You looked at her as if she were the only woman in the room."

I froze. I remembered that night, I remembered dancing with her, and laughing, and feeling right at home with her. I remembered the desperation in her eyes as Aang pulled her away to dance with him, the tight fear that held her prisoner.

_"Do you know what it feels like to be in the arms of someone you're supposed to love, and yet, feel completely alone?"_ I knew now.

"Zuko, I've loved you as my son for many, many years. Don't think me so old that I can't pick up on simple emotions. You care about her."

"Of course."

"Then help her."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I sat through a boring meeting about agricultural needs, I had lunch alone, and I took my walk alone. This day was no different than most, I supposed, but yet, everything seemed completely meaningless to me. Even my mother's garden was a place that held little solace. I remembered Katara flicking water droplets from the fountain at me, giggling at my frown and telling me to lighten up.

I went to bed alone again that night.

Had Katara really wanted to be with the Avatar? She'd been expected to be, certainly, but was it her wish as well as everyone else's?

My thoughts kept me up until the sun's rays burned my eyes.

When I struggled out of bed in the morning and down to the library to get some more reading material, a bleary-eyed and distressed Avatar was wandering the halls. He was asking every person he came to if they had seen me.

Why had he come to me? Had he come here to try and get information on where Katara could be?

Or perhaps he'd thought she was here.

No, she wouldn't come here. There were too many memories here for her.

It was then that I knew that he would never know how to find Katara. He'd look, yes, diligently. But his searches would always turn up empty.

It was up to me to find her, I realized. I raised my hand, skimming the pads of my fingertips along my scar. Aang didn't know pain like Katara and I did. He didn't know what it felt like to have to run from something.

Before he noticed me, I snuck back into my room to pack quietly. From there, it would be down to the docks for the first ship to the Earth Kingdom. She would want to be somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere new to start over and clear her head.

Katara and I were one and the same, made up of quick tempers and soft apologies and a past that told a story. If I didn't have her, I didn't have anything.

"Zuko."

Mai was lounging on my bed in the shadows of my room. I gave a start, stumbling backwards and almost falling into my armoire.

"Mai. What are you doing in here?" I sounded accusatory. I didn't mean to. None of this was her fault.

"I used to sleep in here every night," She ran her hands over the silken sheets absentmindedly, her face expressionless, her hair slipping over one shoulder carelessly.

"But now, when I come to you, you're too busy. There are too many things going on in your mind. You snap at me, now, as if I'm nothing to you."

I felt genuinely bad. Mai hadn't meant for our relationship to fail. She hadn't wished anything bad upon me, she'd simply tried to love me in her own way. But now, I knew that this life wasn't one I wanted to share with her anymore.

And she knew that too.

"I read the note that the Avatar sent you. I get it, Zuko. I get that you've never really gotten over your thing for Katara."

"Mai-"

"Don't interrupt. A woman knows when the man she loves looks at her and sees someone else. Go after her, Zuko, and I hope that you find more happiness with her than you did with me. Don't expect me to be around when you get back." She slammed her hand against the door as she left, leaving Aang's note pinned to it with one of her stilettos.

I knew I deserved the bitterness in her voice. An odd sorrow washed over me, a nostalgia that reminded me that once upon a time, I'd loved her. It had been her embrace that I'd craved, not so long ago, and her lips that I'd stared at in hopes of a stolen kiss. But those were memories from a different time, a time in which I hadn't been scarred and broken and tainted.

I quietly packed my things, solemn, and then hurried downstairs. I'd left a note for Uncle, asking him to tell the council I was going on a tour to visit the Nations and observe the various ways of life. I'd also asked him to rule in my absence. My throat was tight with worry.

I slipped onto the cargo ship unnoticed, a trick I'd picked up from my exile, and perched on top of a crate in the hold below deck. It was a few days ride to the Earth Kingdom, so I'd packed some food as well as funds for my search.

"I'm coming, Katara," I whispered.

"I'm coming."


	2. Bitter

__**I'm so terribly sorry that this took so long! Anyways, here's my next chapter. Please drop me a few reviews, I do love hearing some feedback(:**

**thank you!**

**~nightfall26**

_"I don't understand why you're so closed off to everyone, Zuko." Her gaze was piercing and accusatory, and all I wanted to do was crawl under a rock and hide from her. She was asking things about me that I had never told anyone besides my Uncle before. Secret things, things that required trust and patience and forgiveness within myself. It would take years for me to be able to have that much confidence in another person. _

_"Zuko, it's okay." Katara placed a hand on my shoulder, moving her thumb in circles across the tight muscles beneath her hand. I felt myself relax- just a little- and I sighed._

_"I wonder every day if my mother left because of something I did. I wonder if Azula turned into a power hungry mad woman because of me. I wonder why my father hated me so much. I've even wondered what my purpose is, and why I'm here, and if my life matters even a little; if at all." I paused after that last sentence, allowing it to hang poignantly in the air between us. My eyes slid shut in expectance of an awkward cough from the girl next to me. _

_Instead, a small hand slipped into mine. _

_"We're more alike than you think, Zuko." _

* * *

"The port of Ba Sing Se is ahead, sir! Go check the cargo!" The shouting roused me from my dream, and I snapped awake without falling off of my crate. Miraculously. I slipped down the side of it, finding an open box to slip into to hide in while the cargo hold was searched.

I'd dreamed about her again. The memories just wouldn't stop, would they? I rubbed my scalp, shutting my eyes in the darkness and trying my hardest to let go of the emotion the dream had brought about. When it was safe, I crawled out of the box and to the nearest window. Sure enough, there was Ba Sing Se. It was easy enough to exit the ship without the crew noticing and slip into the crowds of the city. It was colder here than in the Fire Nation, I'd forgotten that. The breeze skimmed across my scar, a strange but not painful sensation.

"Alright, Katara. I'd like to know where you're hiding." I muttered, pushing through the masses of people. Where was the last place I'd seen her when we'd been in the Earth Kingdom?

I distinctly remembered a tea shop, so I took a deep breath and plunged farther into the crowd to find someplace familiar.

Six tea shops later, it was just about two, and I was growing more irritated by the moment. Why did she have to be so great at hiding? Pushing through these crowds was tedious, and I had to keep my hood up around my face, which was making me sweat something terrible.

"Come on, Katara. Cut out this nonsense." I muttered to myself, ducking into a shaded alley way to sit down in the shadows and have a breather. Across the street was yet another tea shop, this one similar to all the others I'd searched today. With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself to my feet and jerked my hood back up around my face.

* * *

_Katara._

I was down to my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor with all of the energy I possessed. It wasn't as if I was about to give up, even though my hands were red and raw from scrubbing and my knees were sore. It didn't matter that my eyes were smarting, and that I was sweating from the heat. It was work. It paid well. And it was far better than a brothel.

"Katara, the floor looks just fine, my dear. Come up and have something cool to drink and take a break." Madame Shu, the owner, was a sweet woman who had seen many winters. With a sigh of relief, I dunked the sponge back in the bucket and pushed myself to my feet. The air was stinging the redness of my knees, but I ignored it. I was looking forward to the glass of iced tea waiting for me up on the veranda.

"Have you found a place to stay?" Madame Shu asked, fanning herself and adjusting her heavy, brocaded robe. I nodded as I sipped at the iced tea in my hand.

"I'm staying over at the South Mountain Inn." I replied slowly, leaning back in my chair and closing my eyes for a moment. The breeze felt good on the sweaty nape of my neck. As I retreated into a relaxed daydream, the little bell for service rang downstairs. Somebody was here. It was two o'clock, hardly anybody came into the shop at this hour. Tea time didn't start till at least three. So I lurched out of my chair, waving at Madame Shu to sit back down and relax, and tried to put some spring into my step. Trotting down the stairs with a false smile plastered onto my lips, I readied myself to take orders.

A tall man with dark hair stood with his back to me, looking over the menu, I supposed.

"Can I help you, sir?" I asked sweetly, sweeping my hair away from my face. He shook his head. The way his black hair moved reminded me of a time where I'd been able to forgive anyone I wanted. His shoulders rose and fell, signaling a shrug. The movement was fluid, feline. Again, oddly familiar.

"Are you sure?" I prompted, noting the unusual way he was acting. He was wearing Earth Nation robes that fit him well. I could taste an inferno all of a sudden, hear the shouts of a tortured soul begging for retribution. I waited, the silence pulling at my every nerve. If he spoke, then I'd know.

"I'm alright, thank you. I just wanted to look at the menu."

The voice, however, didn't match my memories.

And as he turned to face me, upon seeing there was no scar ripped across the flesh of his face, I drooped a little.

This wasn't him.

This wasn't Zuko.

I was so discouraged that I found myself trudging back to the inn with tears in my eyes. It was weird that I missed him so much, but then again, that was one of the reasons I'd left in the first place. These thoughts, these memories, they were all so hard to bear sometimes. I couldn't go a week without dreaming about fire and destruction, of pain and death. I supposed that the war had scarred me in my own way. Aang often had found it difficult to bear, my suffering. He found it odd that I craved the safety of my own independence over depending on him.

Sometimes it was nice to be alone, to have a room all to myself that was neat and quiet and organized. Other times I was lonely. Other times I wanted the noise back, the ruckus, cooking for all my friends and trying to get grumpy Zuko to crack a smile.

But a lot of times, I just wanted Zuko.

* * *

The door to my room always took an extra few seconds to unlock. The doorknob was stiff, and the lock was rusted. When I finally did get the door open, and nothing but darkness greeted my tired eyes, loneliness hit me like never before. There were days when I missed Aang. There were days when I missed the comfort of being held in someones arms, no matter how wiry and childish they were. I missed the feeling of safety and protection. Sure, I could defend myself in a fight, and sure, I walked tall and proud of who I was, but things weren't the same. I was cautious in dark alleyways. I locked my door tight every night.

There were rumors of gangs walking the streets looking for fights, looking for the irresponsibility of dark crimes and taunting words. I shivered sometimes, picturing how dangerous things could get for me if I let these things slip out of my control. The occasional nightmare often woke me up late at night. But all the same, I found myself sitting in the same chair staring out the same window far too often. I could think about how I missed Aang, yes, but I'd be lying to myself.

Now most of my thoughts had returned to the danger zone of where they had been when I'd left Aang. I daydreamed about flames licking my heels. I felt the burn of his touch and the spicy, husky smell that surrounded him. The hiss of the tension that had existed between us crackled in my wildest daydreams, his eyes dancing just beyond my own. This was dangerous for me. Passion had never been in my vocabulary until I'd met Zuko- until I'd kissed Zuko. I wasn't sure if he held that moment as high as I did, or if he even remembered, but the moment was burned into my mind forever.

_"Come on Zuko, let's get you back to your room." It was a bad night. Mai had been yelling at him for the better part of the day, accusing him of all the things that he had done wrong. In his bitter state, he'd turned to his stash of sake in the kitchen. I'd found him a bit of a mess some hours later. He was blubbering on about how much he respected me and how much he loved me in between bouts of how much he hated Mai. It was an odd conundrum, and I wondered if this was really what went on inside Zuko's head. _

_Not that I minded being inside Zuko's head. _

_All the same, I was curious as to why I was coming up in his drunken conversation so often. I helped him stagger back to his room, his arm slung about my shoulders and his feet dragging slightly. _

_"Katara, you've got to know that I adore you." He slurred, running his pointer finger up the length of my arm. I laughed a little to myself._

_"Of course, Zuko. We're best friends." I kept the response light and cheery. Zuko, however, had other plans. He wrenched himself from my protective grip, spinning me around so that his hands were on my shoulders and somehow I was pressed provocatively between his body and the wall. _

_"Zuko." I could barely manage a glare. The way he was looking at me was so serious and so passionate and so...so... intimate. I'd never seen him look at anyone this way, let alone me. _

_His lips were trembling._

_"Katara, I know I'm really, really drunk right now," He sounded less tipsy than before, somehow. _

_"But I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and Agni, if I could, I'd love you forever." The words, while slightly slurred and a little silly sounding, resounded in me. Aang had never said any of these things to me- and he couldn't. Not without blushing, anyways. I stood there for a moment, reeling with shock and grasping for something to say in return._

_"I know you're gonna try and tell me some kind of crap about how I should be in love with Mai, but I'm not anymore. I haven't kissed her in ages." Zuko's voice was getting steadily more intense, and I found that my knees were shaking just the slightest bit. In the depths of my mind, I'd always found Zuko devastatingly attractive, but that was something that just wasn't said. Or thought about for that matter. _

_Before I could come up with some dumb reply to his emotional rant, his lips were on mine and his hands were on my hips. A small gasp burst from me, but his hands slid up my rib cage and back down to rest on my hipbones, silencing me. We spent the next few moments locked in an embrace that made me feel more than I'd ever been able to in my entire life. His mouth was warm and loving against mine, taking his time, tasting the kiss with every fiber of his being. _

_I forgot about Aang. _

_Instead, all I could think about was how he tasted like cinnamon and fire._

I was pretty sure he wouldn't remember any of that night, considering how drunk he'd been. But the smallest voice inside of me was telling me that he remembered it as clearly as I did. Maybe that's really why I left Aang- guilt for thinking of other men in his presence. Not that Aang could really be considered a man. As I walked through my empty apartment, I dropped my sweater to the floor and sighed. I didn't turn any lights on. I didn't even bother to do much, actually, besides sit down at my usual spot and sigh heavily.

Shivers danced down my spine as I recalled the moment I had earlier today. Really, honestly, I'd thought that had been Zuko. Part of me was grateful that it wasn't him; but most of me was aching for his presence.

As I stared out of the window, the only thing that disturbed my thoughts was how cold loneliness was.

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**~nightfall26**


	3. Sting

**Oh hello everyone! I hope you all have had a lovely few first days of spring~  
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Tell me what you think, I personally like this chapter. (:  
~nightfall26**

_I was pretty sure he wouldn't remember any of that night, considering how drunk he'd been. But the smallest voice inside of me was telling me that he remembered it as clearly as I did. Maybe that's really why I left Aang- guilt for thinking of other men in his presence. Not that Aang could really be considered a man. As I walked through my empty apartment, I dropped my sweater to the floor and sighed. I didn't turn any lights on. I didn't even bother to do much, actually, besides sit down at my usual spot and sigh heavily._

_Shivers danced down my spine as I recalled the moment I had earlier today. Really, honestly, I'd thought that had been Zuko. Part of me was grateful that it wasn't him; but most of me was aching for his presence._

_As I stared out of the window, the only thing that disturbed my thoughts was how cold loneliness was._

* * *

_Zuko._

There were too many tea shops in Ba Sing Se, I decided. The day was far from over, yet I'd looked in almost ten similar shops near to the docks. My stomach was growling in displeasure at having been forgotten about, making its unhappiness known to all the people standing around me. I'd gotten a few side glances already. The snacks I'd packed in my bag had long since vanished. Last night, I'd taken refuge in a small inn called the South Mountain Inn and holed up with my snacks and one of the old books I'd found in the room. It was a nice place, really, a place that I wouldn't have minded staying longer. The woman that owned it was a sweetheart, and even though she had recognized me, she'd treated me just like anyone else. I admired that.

But when I had headed downstairs to breakfast, I'd seen a woman walking down the street with waves of mahogany hair falling freely down her back. She'd been wearing a simple blue dress, and my head had spun with memories and the crazy thought that this girl, this random, complete stranger, was my Katara.

Katara. The name was fire on my lips and ashes in my mind. My heartbeat was an anxious flutter in my chest as I thought about where she could be. I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling the dampness of the ends and sighing. I had a feeling that this search was going to take a while.

It was about lunch time, so I sat down at a table in an outdoor cafe to eat. My waitress was blonde and had a problem of fluttering her eyes at me while trying not to stutter. I seemed to have that effect on women; besides Katara and Toph, of course. Katara was my best friend, and Toph was just- well. She was Toph.

_"Zuko, you could have any girl you wanted, you know that?" She teased, pulling on my shirt as if to egg me on. I swatted at her. _

_"Liar." I stuck my tongue out at her, teasing, somewhat flirting. It was shameless. It was careless. But yet, neither of us seemed to really care. We'd gone for a walk to pick flowers, since Katara had declared the palace too 'dull' and lacking color. _

_"Do you think these are pretty?" She called, bending over a patch of pink flowers. I, of course, nodded and agreed with her. It's not like she noticed I was staring at her instead. _

_Her figure had filled out so nicely, I noted. She was hardly a child anymore- much, much too old for Aang. Her mahogany locks tumbled down her back as free as the wind, caressing every curve and flowing so beautifully when the breeze kissed it. _

_Mai had lost more weight. She was a skeleton now. Katara had taken to helping in the kitchen, and she often felt a little hurt when she saw that Mai barely touched her food. _

_"Don't you like it?" She'd ask, timidly, her eyes wide with hurt. Mai would nod exasperatedly, as if there was something that the Water Tribe girl wasn't picking up on. Often times, she'd tell me in private that the blue eyed woman annoyed her._

_But she far from annoyed me. _

My meal was uneventful and rather dull. The food wasn't bad, but I was just used to the high grade material of the palace's meals. As I picked at the spicy pasta I'd ordered, my gaze wandered across the crowds of the bazaar nearby. My eyes skimmed over a figure nearly exactly like the woman I'd seen this morning, and I stared unabashedly. It was completely terrible of me, but the curiosity was burning in my heart like a roman candle. I willed her to turn around, to face me, to prove to me that I wasn't going completely insane.

A hand flicked her hair over one shoulder, revealing a profile. I couldn't get a good look at her, and I strained my eyes to see, squinting in the midday sun. She smiled slightly, reaching out to touch a blue sundress that hung from a kiosk. Her hands were small, her fingers dainty. I admired the shape of them for a moment before returning to praying that she'd turn around. I knew she wasn't Katara. She was taller than Katara, a little too mature looking. Her hair was much longer, too.

But all of a sudden, I noticed a flash of something tied around the girl's neck.

A necklace.

Could it be...?

When she took a step closer to me, my heart jumped in my chest. I was clenching the fabric of my shirt in my hands.

_Please let this be her. _I begged to Agni, biting my tongue to keep from crying out.

She turned, briefly, and the smile that lit her face tugged at my heart. I recognized that smile, didn't I? Or was it too much to hope for?

I couldn't keep myself quiet any longer, and I found myself getting to my feet, moving away from my table, searching the faces in front of me with a frenzied pain.

It was her. It had always been her. She was the one. It had been her face I'd imagined when I'd looked at Mai, it had been her blue eyes I'd stared into. She was my best friend; and yet, it had been so seamlessly easy to love her.

_Please, Agni. Please let me have my Katara back. _

"Katara!" I cried out, loudly, unable to stay quiet any longer. The silence that followed brought a tense, awful pain that filled my chest. I waited, still as a statue, begging and praying and hoping to Agni.

When she turned to face me, I just about cried with relief. It was her. She stared at me, and I got a good look at the woman that I'd fallen hopelessly in love with. Her tanned features hadn't changed a bit, and her eyes, piercing as always, were wide with shock.

Her lips mouthed my name.

There was a brief moment of tension that crackled across the square between us, and her hand twinged, as if she wanted to reach out to me. Mine echoed her movements.

And then she turned and ran away.

In that moment, that terrible, painful moment, I felt my heart twinge in deep sorrow. It cracked along its very seams, rupturing, crying out for her to _please please please just come back _and begging for the agony to stop. I staggered backwards into my chair, almost falling over it in my attempts to sit back down. I groped at the fabric on my chest as I gasped for breath.

"Are you just going to watch her run away?" Unbeknownst to me, a waiter was standing next to me, staring at me unabashedly. I blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to go after her?" He said pointedly, gesturing to the girl fleeing into the crowds.

"She'll be gone before I can get to her."

"With that attitude, of course. Get off your sorry behind and go get her." He gave me a solid hoist to my feet, giving me a chuckle and turning away as I started to run. He was right, of course. After all, what did I have to lose?

* * *

_Katara._

I was flying through the marketplace, my hair streaming wildly behind me as I dashed across the cobblestones. The colors of the tents blurred together as I pushed through the crowd to find an escape.

He'd found me.

My throat was tight with worry- had he followed me? I blindly hoped not. But when I heard him calling my name behind me, my fears were confirmed. My lungs were starting to burn; I hadn't run like this in ages, and my body was showing signs of fatigue.

"Katara, please!"

His cries were disturbing me, tears were threatening to spill over my cheeks. I clenched my fists tighter, pushing myself to run faster. I had wanted to see him for so long, I had thirsted for his lips on mine again, for his eyes trailing after my every move, for the way he radiated heat. I had longed for him in a way that was so wrong, so very wrong for a girl- barely a woman- who had just broken away from a long term relationship.

It frightened me.

So I ran.

If I were to face him, my face would flush and I'd probably stammer. We'd talk, and all the while, I'd be thinking of his hands on my hips and the way he'd pulled me closer to him. I'd be wondering _what if. _What if I had asked him about that night?

What if he'd looked at me with those fierce golden eyes in the same way that he used to look at Mai?

What if I had looked at him right back with eyes that reflected my every feeling, my every fear?

He was getting closer to me, I could hear it in his voice.

Part of me wanted him to come so close that he could touch me, just to feel that thrill again, and then disappear into the crowd to cry myself to sleep another night. That was what was normal; comfortable. I had run away from commitment. It wasn't as if I was about to dash into another man's arms, I reminded myself.

But he didn't touch me. His hands weren't like I remembered, they were rough, uncouth. He grabbed me and stopped me dead in my tracks. I barely caught myself from falling face first onto the pavement.

"Agni, Katara, what are you doing? Do you know how worried everyone is about you? How worried Aang is?" He was so close to me that I could feel his hot, dry breath against my cheeks. I swallowed, silence filling my lungs. Had he worried?

"What the hell were you thinking?" His voice was rising in volume. I squirmed uncomfortably, my hands scraping hopelessly on the brick wall he'd pinned me against. Zuko's face was so familiar. I remembered tracing the lines in his scar, feeling the weight of his head in my lap, the smoothness of his hair pressing against my legs. And yet, he was a stranger to me.

"Agni." He swore again, this time softer, and he bent his head as if weighed down by a burden. His breath was evening out into a state of normalcy. I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead, and I resisted the urge to throw my arms around him. The defeat in his stance was crushing. When he looked back up at me, I almost couldn't stop a rush of tears from flooding my eyes.

"Zuko." I whispered, lifting a shaking hand to skim the tips of my fingers across his cheek. His breath stilled.

"Katara, do you know how worried I was?" The pace of our breathing had suddenly matched each other, and our chests rose and fell together. His hands slid from the wall to my shoulders, slipping down until his hands were holding my own.

I felt like I was choking. My heart was pounding, a wild drum beat slamming against my ribs. My hair was sticking to the nape of my neck.

"I'm so glad I found you." The words were a rush, and suddenly, he had pulled me to his chest in a tight embrace. In that moment, that stifling moment, I felt safer than I had in weeks. I allowed myself to fall limp into his arms, wrapping my own around his waist and fisting my hands in the back of his shirt. He smelled vaguely of smoke and spices, as per usual.

But no matter how safe I felt, no matter how this moment rang with truth inside of me, I couldn't chase away the shadowy demons that lurked in my head. I couldn't get Aang's hurt face out of my mind. I'd run away for a reason, hadn't I? I'd been afraid.

But afraid of what?

That question rang through my mind as I lead Zuko back to my apartment, our sweaty hands entwined so tightly that we both had white knuckles. Our eyes barely strayed from each others, emotions running high. When the door was shut behind us, he pulled me to the first chair he saw, sitting me down on it and kneeling in front of me.

"Katara, please, tell me why." The words were low and urgent. I frowned, trying to think of the right words.

"I had to leave. It was just so hard being around Aang, so hard being around everyone when I was the only one trying desperately to find out who I am. Aang was only stifling me. He wasn't right for me, and nobody supported me in that. Everyone kept reminding me that we were _meant to be _and all that nonsense." I choked a little on my words, fishing for an explanation that I wanted so badly to hide. Zuko's eyes were warm and safe, filled with a gentleness that made me want so badly to explain to him that _oh La_ I was in love with him.

His hands gripped mine a little tighter.

"I know exactly what you mean. Mai left me." Those eyes turned sad, all of a sudden, and his shoulders drooped a little. I released one of his hands to reach down and skim the tips of my fingers across his scar. I realized all at once what those words meant to him; that his relationship had failed, and he'd have no fiance to place on the throne beside him. He'd have no Queen, and with that, no heir.

Hope swelled in my chest; selfishly.

"Oh, Zuko." I murmured, feeling genuinely sad for the man in front of me who had once been so broken. We used to talk about anything and everything together. We used to help each other. We used to heal each other.

"I _need _you, Katara." That whisper was agonized.

So I sank down off the chair to the ground beside him, gathering the man I needed so much into my arms.

"I'm right here." My answer made him shudder a little, and he pulled me close, until his head was resting on my shoulder.

A few moments went by and we fell into a comfortable silence. There was nothing but the warmth of his body and the sound of his breathing, the feeling of his heart pounding away in his chest. The feeling of Zuko being so close was bringing back so many memories, so many emotions and feelings that raced through my mind at 3 in the morning when I was trying to sleep. I'd missed him. I'd missed this stupid boy.

"I missed you." I hadn't meant to say it out loud, I really hadn't. But the words had left my chapped lips, and now I couldn't take them back. Zuko pulled back to stare at me, his eyes wide, his lips pressed together in shock.

"I missed you too, Katara. I missed you so much." His voice was hoarse, and all of a sudden so fragile. We sat there staring at each other for a good while. Those eyes that had once been such safety to me were swimming with a deep sadness that I realized he never showed to anyone. Those beautiful eyes, golden spheres that symbolized nothing but warmth for me. _La. Those eyes. _My heartbeat was so fast, so quick, that I feared it'd burst right out of my chest.

Somehow, our hands had slipped down to hold each others, and I felt such warmth inside me that I hadn't felt in an eternity.

"I didn't feel right when you left." Zuko confessed hurriedly, as if he hadn't meant to say it but couldn't hold it back any longer. I nodded slowly, my fingers tightening around his hands. A lump rose in my throat.

I hadn't meant to _leave _him. He was my favorite person in the whole world, he kept me sane. Without him, I'd been a ghost.

"I don't know why I left, honestly. I suppose I felt it was my duty." I laughed humorlessly, shaking my head.

"As if I had anything left to give the world- to give to Aang." Bitterly, I spat out the darkness that had been plaguing my heart for months. Zuko bowed his head for a moment over our entwined hands, his messy black hair briefly skimming my wrist. I felt goosebumps rise along my arms at the sensation.

"You have so much to give, Katara. You always have." The words were murmured, his lips so close to my skin that I could feel the faintest burn along where his breath touched my skin.

"I feel drained, Zuko, as if he exhausted me. I'm young, I've still got dreams, snatches of wishes that I've had since I was a child. There are so many things I want to do, still." I paused for a moment to collect myself before tears overcame my words.

"All he wanted from me were children. He wanted me to be the pretty little housewife and raise kids for him. Not that I'm opposed to that- someday- but not now! La, not now. My soul isn't settled yet. There are still so many places I haven't seen!" I exclaimed, the emotion in my voice crackling. My shoulders hunched a little.

Zuko looked up then, his lips curved up in the slightest of smiles.

"It's as if we're the same person." He whispered, and I could hear tears in his voice, as if he feared that if he spoke any louder the tears would escape his walls.

"We always have been, Zuko." I clenched his hands in mine, my hands beginning to shake as I allowed myself to cry.

"Katara, _Katara._" He wasn't broken anymore, but he was hurting. I couldn't fathom why. All I wanted was for him to smile, to be happy, to find that source of peace within himself.

Of course, I wanted to be the source of his happiness, but that was far too much to ask for.

I heard the smallest of noises come from the man in front of me; Zuko, the Fire Lord, was crying. I released one of his hands to smooth my fingers over his cheeks and wipe away the tears. He chuckled a little; laughing at himself.

"I've never cried in front of anyone besides Uncle."

"I know. Always the tough guy." I smiled along with him, at the two of us, at the moment we were sharing. I'd been so lost without this man in my life- and yet so frightened to welcome him back into my arms.

"Katara, please come back." I froze.

"Come back?" I echoed, my smile dropping off of my face. He nodded.

"The Fire Nation is your home too, you know. I came so that I could bring you home." His eyes cast downwards, almost as if he was scared of what I was about to say. I stood up, abruptly, dropping his hands and rubbing a hand through my hair.

Zuko was my best friend, I reminded myself. It was a hopeless girl's dream that he even remotely cared about me in that fashion. If I returned, Aang could find me. If I returned, I'd have to confess everything.

It'd be a mess.

"Why do you want me come back with you, Zuko?" I asked, dreading the response he'd give me.

_Because you're my best friend, Katara, why else? _I imagined the worst. The pain was crushing me now, like a tidal wave. Struggling to breathe without bursting back into tears, I leaned on the windowsill. I listened to the sound of his breathing. Every intake of breath was a sign to me, a sign that he didn't love me, he didn't want me, that I was his friend and nothing more and never would be anything more.

He took a deep breath in, as if he was about to say something he knew would hurt me. The rasp of air was a stab to me. I pressed a hand to my chest as if it would stop the pain I was sure to receive.

I prepared myself.

"Because I love you, Katara."

**Thank you all for reading, and please, drop me a review!  
****love,**

**~nightfall26**


	4. Ice

**Hi everyone! I hope you've all being doing well! Here's the next chapter, & I'm so sorry it's taken so long. I just finished my freshman year of college, weeee! **

**please leave me a review when you're done letting me know how you liked it~**

**xo,**

**nightfall26**

_"Why do you want me come back with you, Zuko?" I asked, dreading the response he'd give me._

_Because you're my best friend, Katara, why else? I imagined the worst. The pain was crushing me now, like a tidal wave. Struggling to breathe without bursting back into tears, I leaned on the windowsill. I listened to the sound of his breathing. Every intake of breath was a sign to me, a sign that he didn't love me, he didn't want me, that I was his friend and nothing more and never would be anything more._

_He took a deep breath in, as if he was about to say something he knew would hurt me. The rasp of air was a stab to me. I pressed a hand to my chest as if it would stop the pain I was sure to receive._

_I prepared myself._

_"Because I love you, Katara."_

* * *

_Aang._

Today was a terrible day.

I hovered above the city, worry knotting my eyebrows together. Iroh had been scrambling about all morning trying to explain to the council why our Fire Lord was missing; personally, I would have liked to know myself. We were in dire need of a leader right about now, and I couldn't do the job for him. Neither could Iroh.

Not to mention Katara was missing. That was eating away at me like a disease. Had it somehow been my fault? Had I scared her away with all my talk of marriage and children and futures? I knew she was an adventurer, I'd always known that. But she'd spoken of wanting a family, too.

I sighed, shaking my head. I didn't know anymore. I was just about ready to give up on the entire female population, seeing as I couldn't understand any of them.

But the most worrisome part was what I was watching beneath me. People were running about, screaming, crying, trampling each other to get away from the spectacle behind me.

Which was, of course, an enormous explosion that had decimated one of the biggest buildings in the center of the Fire Nation's capital.

"Now I get to mop things up." I muttered, sighing even heavily than before. Of course, the civilians had reason to run and hide. Besides the building's explosion, several smaller terrorist attacks had occurred. In the main square, someone had ignited a huge column that sent smoke billowing high into the sky. Bombs had gone off underneath certain parts of the palace, and servants were running for shelter. Smoke, debris, and fire was everywhere, and everyone was doing exactly what they shouldn't be doing.

Panicking.

But then again, I was in a bit of a panic myself. Honestly, my chest was tight with fear and my palms were sweating. Honestly, all I wanted was Katara to wrap her arms around me and tell me it was all going to be okay. But I didn't have that luxury right now. I couldn't be afraid. I was facing down something that terrified everyone- and it was my job to stand up and face it.

Azula had returned.

* * *

_three hours prior. Aang. _

I was worrying myself sick.

I missed my friends, I missed the familiar faces of Toph and Sokka and Suki. Most days I went to bed clutching at pillows and remembering how it felt to lay beside a woman. Namely Katara. She had been my own personal paradise. Every stress or worry I could possibly have had disappeared as soon as she smiled at me- looked at me, even. Her fingers entwined with my own were warm, soothing, comforting, everything I could ever need.

_"Everything is going to be just fine, Aang. I believe in you." _Her voice rang in my ears continually. Sometimes it made me feel better to think about the memories we shared, sometimes it just hurt. Her timing was so strange, packing up and leaving the night after I had declared myself to her so fully. Then again, she had been acting off all day.

_She sat on the edge of the balcony, her feet hanging over the edge and dangling in the air. She raked a hand through her wild hair. _

_"Do you think there are more places to see in this world that we haven't seen yet, Aang?" She spoke absentmindedly, playing with the ends of her curls. I shrugged. _

_"It's likely. Not that we're going traveling any time soon, it's so nice to be settled." I was busying myself with making plans, constantly making plans for me and Katara's future. Not only that, but the future of the Air Benders. I assumed that Katara would have no problems with helping me rebuild. _

_"I guess." She hoisted herself to her feet, brushing past me to walk coldly into the hall beyond. Dinner was odd that night. She'd picked at her food, her expression distant and off. Any conversation I attempted to make brought about vague, tired answers from my girlfriend. Katara didn't look up from her plate once. _

_The asparagus on my plate was a little overcooked. I frowned. Katara never let the asparagus get overcooked. She was a perfectionist when it came to cooking, she loved making food that made people happy. I loved seeing that proud way she presented her various foods from the places she'd been, the way she'd throw back her shoulders and grin as I took the first bite. She'd demand to know how it was at once, and I thought it was the cutest thing. _

_I could tell that she missed the Fire Nation, though. She missed her friends, and being around people at all. There she'd had an entire kitchen staff to assist with her mad scientist concoctions for meals, new recipes to try, and Fire Lord Zuko to impress. _

_Zuko. Fire Lord Zuko. _

_Selfishly, I was happy that she'd been separated from her 'best friend'. They'd spent just about every waking moment together, being secretive and dodging Mai's overseeing eye. Sometimes I felt like they were hiding something from the world. Some kind of deep, dark secret that neither of them admitted to anyone else. Katara, every so often, would confess to being sad and conflicted about the war. I'd brush off the statements she made with the promise of a brighter future. _

_But sometimes, the darkness in her words did nothing but confuse me. _

_Those were usually the times when she'd get up in a huff and go searching for Zuko. It was as if she couldn't talk to me anymore. That, or she didn't have the patience to._

_I had decided that tonight was the night I was going to ask her. I'd been planning for months, and now, her tired state spurred me on. After all, it would be the perfect way to cheer her up. _

_So after I helped her clean up the dishes, I suggested a walk. _

_"Just around the top of the Air Temple. It's nice out tonight, I'd like to show you the stars." I smiled at her, my hand resting on her arm lightly. Katara's eyes flitted to my own briefly, and the sorrow within them distracted me for a moment._

_"Sure, Aang. Just let me finish here." Her tone was so despondent and empty. _

_"No, no, don't worry about the kitchen. I'll get it later. Come on, live a little." I tried to joke with her, a grin cracking over my face. But she didn't respond. She nodded once, slowly, following me outside as if I were ordering her to do a chore. _

_"It's such a lovely night out." I stood still for a moment, feeling the breeze ruffle my clothing. I closed my eyes to enjoy it. _

_"Yeah." Katara's one-word response made the soft, cool breeze slightly less enjoyable for me, and so I grasped her hand gently to walk to the top of the temple. It was a pretty view of the stars from up there, and I had the betrothal necklace I'd fashioned her sitting heavily in my pocket._

_We sat down on the cold stone together, quiet, the silence of the night making the silence between us that much more obvious. Usually she'd cuddle up closer to me, her head on my shoulder, smiling up at me. But tonight she held herself, arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees. _

_I was nervous now. _

_Weeks ago, I hadn't been, when I'd stolen her away from the Fire Nation and our romance had seemed to blossom beautifully. Katara had liked the animals that visited us in our new home, the nearby river, the forest that surrounded us. She'd liked the peace and quiet, and the way that we bonded. _

_But now, the rift between us was growing. As a last attempt to pull us back together, I turned to face her. _

_"Katara, I've loved you since the day I met you." _

_Did I imagine the sigh of dread escaping her lips?_

_"All I've wanted was for you to be by my side, every moment of every day. Make me the happiest man in the world and promise to stay?" I cupped the necklace in my palms, offering it to her. I felt so vulnerable in that moment of silence. So scared, like a baby lemur. I was trembling._

_Her eyes were great pools of sorrow for a moment, staring into mine as if she were wronged in some way. But she reached for the necklace anyways, nodding to me, a small smile on her lips.  
_

_"Of course, Aang. Of course." _

_I tried to convince myself that the kisses that followed weren't half hearted. I tried. _

_But in the morning, when her side of the bed was made neatly and her things were gone, I allowed myself to feel the sorrow that had been reflected in her eyes that night. The necklace I'd so carefully crafted for her was laying forgotten on her pillow. _

_I'd spent that day searching for answers in all of our favorite places, the rocks by the river, the meadows by the edge of the forest, the trees hanging over the water. Those places caused me great pain and confusion. _

_But when I'd finally picked myself up off the ground and flown to the Fire Nation, something within me had cracked. I no longer was trying to enforce positivity on myself. I didn't try to smile, I didn't try to look at the bright side. _

_Instead, I allowed the grief to consume me._

* * *

_mai._

I'd known Zuko hadn't loved me for so long. _I'd known it. _And yet, I'd still gone to his chambers, offering myself to him, giving him the luxury of a woman whenever he desired it. I rubbed my hands together sorrowfully. Had I been a fool? Had I just been giving myself to a man so devoured by grief that he no longer found joy in life itself? I sighed, massaging my temples.

That peasant girl, Katara, had she offered herself to him too?

I shook my head. Sad he might be, but Zuko was not a dishonorable man. When he gave his word, he kept it til the end. I drifted about the halls of the palace like a ghost, a bitter, ungrateful, exhausted ghost. I supposed I was waiting for him to tell me to leave at this point.

When he returned, would he have a new Fire Queen on his arm?

I shook my head yet again, trying to dislodge the dark thoughts from creeping into my head.

But even still, I couldn't help but want to lodge a stiletto in the Water Tribe girl's heart. She'd taken what had once been mine, and that was unforgivable.

I knew Azula had returned. I just hadn't decided whether or not I was going to join her.

But as my gaze hovered over a painting of Zuko with Aang and his other stupid little friends, bile rose in my throat. There was the Water Tribe girl, her hand on his arm protectively.

I pushed myself out of my chair. I couldn't stand by and watch filth like her take over my throne. It was rightfully mine- and I'd make it known.

Oh, I'd make it known, alright, by hanging her up by her pretty hair and having target practice with her.

Then, maybe Zuko would see what was right.

* * *

_zuko._

I paused after saying the words, my eyes scanning her face, her delicate features. Those huge pools of endless blue were radiating with a happiness so tangible it was filling me with warmth. Her lips were curving upwards slowly, gently, pushing her quiet dimples into view.

"Zuko." My name sounded so lovely when she said it. I shivered a little.

"Katara." I answered, feeling her hands drift across my face and down my shoulders. We were smiling at each other now, eyes only for each other, the warmth growing between us.

"I love you." I'd only hoped to hear those words from her. I'd only imagined it, dreamt it, even. But hearing them from her in person, in real life, was so unimaginably, deliriously wonderful. It was as if I'd gone my whole life without really living; and only now, in this moment, was I truly alive.

"I love you, Katara." The words were a little choked, and she replied by easily looping her arms around my neck to embrace me. Slipping my arms around her waist, I lifted myself to my feet and held her to my chest as tightly as I could bear.

"I'm so thankful- Agni, so grateful- to have found you." I murmured against her hair, pressing my lips to her cheek. She pulled away a little to look at me. She was glowing. Literally, glowing. Her skin was bright with a happiness that couldn't be defined, her eyes shining like the light of a thousand suns. There was a poignant moment in which we stared endlessly at each other, growing closer with each passing moment until our lips met.

I hoisted her closer still, feeling the way that she wrapped herself tighter, the smoothness of her lips against mine and the steadily growing heat between us.

"I didn't think you'd feel this way." Katara whispered against my mouth, the words a tightly coiled fear emerging from the depths of her heart. I sensed the deep emotion within her.

"Katara, I've loved you since the moment you placed your hand on my scar and promised to help me." The words were urgent, as if I'd needed to say them for a long time. She smiled at me then, brushing her fingers over my hair.

"And I you. I was so confused, so lost as to why I couldn't look Aang in the eye any longer and declare my love to him. It felt so wrong, so morally wrong, and I couldn't explain why. So I ran. But this time apart gave me perception into what it was that I was missing in my life. I saw it everywhere- from tea shops to crowded marketplaces to my dreams. I saw _you _everywhere."

My heart was pounding in my chest, a constant reminder that this was now, this was real, and the girl in my arms was as in love with me as I was with her. It was almost as if I couldn't believe it.

My best friend, my sole confident, my favorite person in the world. Mine; not Aang's, mine.

"I'm never, ever letting you out of my sight again, Katara. You're safe with me." The words came between long, slow kisses that I dragged along the length of her throat and jaw bone.

"La, Zuko, I missed you." She slipped down to place her feet on the ground now, her arms tightening, our lips meeting, fingers scrabbling to find the lock on the door.

We found something in each other that night beyond definition. Peace, perhaps. I found myself in every curve of her body, in every tendril of loose hair that tangled between us. I found comfort and solace in her eyes, and love in the way her hands clasped mine.

There was an assurance that we had finally found the other half of ourselves that we had been searching for. It was hours before we slept, hours of talking and soft, loving kisses. It was something neither of us had felt before in our lives.

We were home.

**I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! **

**Please review, I'd really like to hear everyone's opinions on this story! Thank ya'll so much for reading (:**

**much love,**

**nightfall26**


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